Ree thought he would get his rest for at least a week after arriving at the Henituse Territory. After all, he was ordered to settle down on his new environment first.
Therefore, Ree expected young master Cale to leave him at the Henituse Mansion when they go to Harris Village. But, as usual, nothing went as he expected it to.
Ree glanced at his pocket watch as they camp out once again. They were on their way to Harris Village, a place Ree had no plan on going to yet had no choice but to comply to his young master's order.
'Life is really hard... haa.'
Ree sighed inwardly in resignation to his fate before keeping his pocket watch. He then moved his gaze toward the children setting up the campsite under his guidance.
Ree already noticed this before even in the novel, but Cale's group really were mainly consisted of beast people. Now, seeing the wolf tribe children working and the two cats playing around while the two whale siblings chatting was with each other, Ree could see why Cale once commented about running a Veterinary hospital.
"Hyung, young master Cale called for you."
Hearing the voice of Maes snapped Ree out of his thoughts. Ree smiled and nodded in response with a brief thank you before proceeding to his young master's tent.
Inside were young master Cale as well as the whale and cat siblings and Hilsman who was facing Cale. At first, Ree did not think anything of it so he simply smiled politely.
"Young master, you called?"
Well, who would've thought that a bomb was about to be dropped at him...
"I will be going to the Forest of Darkness."
"... what?"
"What?"
Ree's calm eyes shook slightly at the familiar scene while inside his head, Mini Ree stood petrified like a statue.
Meanwhile, contrary to Ree's confusion, Vice captain Hilsman had a more exaggerated reaction than Ree.
"Why would someone in recovery go somewhere so dangerous?"
Ree tuned out Hilsman's voice, lost in his own thoughts.
'Why.... the heck am I here?'
In the novel, this was the part where Cale would show the black dragon to Hilsman. And Ree, wo was practically an outsider as he was newly hired, was not supposed to be a part of this.
'Just what was young master Cale thinking? I really want the power to read his mind sometimes.'
As Ree was lost in thought, he didn't notice Cale's eyes which were observing his reaction. Normally, a reaction like Vice captain Hilsman's was the most common to receive.
But Ree's reaction was different.
Instead of worry like Hilsman, or impassiveness like what you would expect Beacrox' reaction would be like, Ree acted like what Cale said was a given. In fact, his reaction was like asking why the heck did he need to know.
It was similar to Cale when the black dragon reported troublesome information to him that he did not want to discover. Because of this, Cale actually found this butler of his pleasing to the eye.
But of course, he would never tell that to anyone.
'He was suspicious, but not a threat.'
That was the conclusion Cale had after observing the butler. Therefore, he also called out for him right now.
"Do you have to do so much for Choi Han-"
Hilsman's voice was caught in his throat when a small floating black figure suddenly appeared in front of them. A dragon.
Or a baby dragon to be exact.
Right after, two more children appeared as the two cats turned into their human form. Behind them, Witira pulled out a long water whip while Paseton held his sword with a whirlpool at the end.
Ree feigned his surprise impeccably while staring at them. Meanwhile, Vice captain Hilsman felt chills for the first time in his life.
"Don't worry."
Cale's voice was calm as he spoke. He was standing in the middle of this monstrous beings with a relaxed smile on his face, shocking Hilsman even more.
Ree immediately adjusted his expression after hearing that. Switching back to his usual calm and polite smile.
"Then, I wish you a safe trip young master. Is there anything else?"
Ree acted like he was too surprised to process this information hence he simply gave up doing so. He avoided making eye contact to anyone aside from Cale.
Right now, he was like a butler pretending to have not seen anything.
Immediately, everyone realized his action. And somehow, both Paseton and the cat siblings felt a bit guilty.
After all, the butler treated them really well. They felt like they betrayed his trust by lying. The cat siblings also felt like that even if they already suspected that Ree knew about them all along.
In fact, after seeing Ree's stunned eyes after glancing at them once, they tensed up. And seeing him avoid their gazes somehow hurts more than they expected.
'Did he felt betrayed that we kept it from him?'
That's what running inside their mind right now as their gaze stayed at the butler's figure.
Cale, however, prefer his action more than Hilsman's. Hence he nodded his way.
"Just cover up for us. And I will also leave the wolf tribe children outside on your care."
Again, another bomb was casually dropped off. Ree pretended to flinch a bit before fixing his composure.
"...W, wolves. I see. Then, is that all young master?"
Ree still maintained his polite smile but he let a slight trace of fatigue be visible on his face. As if he was wishing there was nothing else his young master would add, which was actually his true feeling.
'Please young master, I'm begging you, that's enough of a "surprise" in a day.'
Although he was not actually surprised like Hilsman, just thinking that he now "officially" knew about this troublesome informations were giving Ree a big headache.
'But maybe this'll be beneficial as well. Maybe I can use this as a reason to slightly drift away from them.'
A weak butler who was uncomfortable after he found out that he was surrounded by strong beings. That would give Ree a proper reason to act distant with the others, right?
'Perfect!'
Mini Ree, who just recovered, let out a cute evil laughter inside.
Too bad, he underestimated the children's persistence.
Ree and Hilsman left the tent at the same time after receiving their young master's orders. Both of them felt drained but for different reasons.
Ree didn't really want to stay here any longer. However, he couldn't just ignore Hilsman who probably received the biggest shock of his entire life in a single blow.
Ree glanced at his pocket watch before letting out a soft sigh. He cleared his throat a bit before speaking.
"You okay?"
As the two of them just survived a "calamity" together. Ree felt like it was okay for him to speak casually to Hilsman. Hence, he did.
Hilsman, who was in the middle of changing his views and beliefs, glanced at the seemingly calm man beside him. He couldn't understand how Ree could maintain his composure after all that.
Ree noticed his gaze and he answered with a smile while shrugging. He continued to walk with Hilsman in tow before starting to speak when they're on a considerable distance away.
"I'm surprised as well. In fact, I think I'm still in shock. I am apparently surrounded by monstrous individuals who could kill me with one move. But..."
Ree shifted his gaze upward, staring at the night sky full of stars.
"As a butler, it is my job to assist my master. If my will could be shaken just by this, then I don't deserve my title as a butler."
In fact, Ree was only blubbering nonsense he once read somewhere before.
"My creed was to serve my master, regardless of anything else. So I will accept anything and everything for the master I chose myself."
Ree did not know, but as he spoke several people were listening in. All of them fell into a trance as they focused on the butler's form that was illuminated by the bright moonlight.
"I firmly believe that the master I chose deserves all that."
Ree moved his gaze toward the brown haired knight listening to him.
"You're a knight first before you are a Vice captain, Sir Hilsman. You have your own creed you adheres to. Make up your mind then stay true to that."
Ree patted the Vice captain on his back before leaving with his gaze stuck on his pocket watch. Unbeknownst to him, several pair of eyes were watching as he left. All of them lost on their own thoughts.
Bu-dump.
Hilsman's heart skipped a beat as he stared at the figure of Ree. Right now, the later's figure seemed awe-inspiring in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Paseton and Witira, who accidentally eavesdropped, also felt their heart skipped. Specially Paseton, who was still feeling guilty at the fact that he hid his identity from Ree.
The cats, along with Raon who was describing what's happening to Cale, all had complicated thoughts about the butler. The cats liked Ree. In fact, they liked him more than Hans.
That's why they felt guilty for hiding, even tho they feel like he already knew about them.
Cale however, felt satisfied with his comment about "the master he chose". For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly felt delighted.
The chaotic night ended with Ree being completely oblivious of the fact that his image grew much bigger at the eyes of Cale's group.
~
"Hyung, are you angry?"
Maes stared pitifully at Ree who was boarding the carriage with the knights.
Ree was still taking good care of them and was still assisting them, but the wolf children couldn't help but feel like Ree was distancing himself. He was not as he used to be.
Although it was only a few times, the wolves who were sensitive to other's action, immediately noticed how he tensed up when they were with him. Sometimes, he would even subconsciously take a step back when they approached him.
And all of this hurts them.
Meanwhile, Ree started to feel guilty as he stared at the pitiful eyes of the child. Yes, he was actually doing all that in purpose.
'If I didn't, it would be more suspicious. I am not as simple minded as Hans who easily accepted them. So acting like I am uncomfortable at first is a must in order to avoid suspicion.'
Ree was well aware that not everyone can act nonchalant after finding out about the children's identity. In fact, only those in Cale's group can do that.
In order to appear normal, he needed to act like one. And a normal person will act this way. Ree was not like Cale who has a f*cked up definition of the personality he wanted to appear as.
(A/N: We all knew that Cale really does have a f*cked up definition of the "trash" personality he wanted to be seen as.)
Ree steeled his resolve and smiled awkwardly at Maes.
"Of course I'm not. Go back to the carriage now, we were almost at our destination."
With that, Ree subtly ushered the young wolf away. Maes couldn't do anything but nod before leaving with heavy steps.
All of this was witnessed by the whale siblings. However, they really couldn't blame Ree. After all, any normal human would feel act like that in the presence of beast people.
In fact, Ree was also avoiding the both of them completely. Unlike with the wolf tribe siblings, the butler had no obligation to be with them, hence he directly avoided interacting with them.
Ree's action looked natural to everyone, hence no one really said anything. Not even Cale.
'I feel like I can slowly show that I'm getting used to it little by little now.'
Ree thought to himself as he gazed outside the moving carriage. He had long abandoned his plan of using this opportunity to alienate them specially after seeing the hurtful looks they were all sending his way.
Ree was, undeniably, weak to the wolf children. He now accepted that.
As they arrived at Harris Village, all Ree could see was black everywhere. The view made Ree felt heavy.
'How'd Choi Han not lose his mind completely?'
Ree also knew the pain of losing someone. In this case, he could emphasize with almost everyone in Cale's group.
The vague image of two identical teens flashed in his mind before being buried and locked tightly at his heart. He couldn't afford to be emotional right now.
Ree immediately went out of the carriage to check the children, only to see them looking stiffly at the burned village. At the same time, he could see young master Cale approaching.
Ree stopped at a distance away from them, waiting for their conversation to finish. Although he already knew what they talked about, Ree still felt like it was rude if he eavesdropped.
Hence, he leaned his back at the carriage for a bit, waiting for young master Cale to leave.
That was how he was when Paseton saw him. Thinking that it was a perfect opportunity, Paseton immediately approached the unsuspecting butler.
"H,hi."
Ree flinched a bit in shock as a enchanting voice suddenly greeted him. Moving his gaze, he noticed Paseton who for some reason looked hurt.
"Ahh, Paseton-nim. Is there something I can help you with?"
This time, it was Paseton's turn to flinch.
Ree already forgot that Paseton told him to address him by his name only. Hence, he subconsciously added the suffix.
Paseton, however, took it in a completely different way. He thought the butler was now uncomfortable with his presence after finding out he was from the whale tribe hence he was being formal.
"N,No I just... I,I was wondering... W,Well..."
Ree stared at the stuttering man in front of him. Somehow, this scene felt incredibly familiar.
However, at the corner of his eye, he noticed that young master Cale already left. And for Ree, the wolf children were currently a priority as he was sure they all felt sad after remembering their old village.
Hence, he immediately cut off Paseton.
"I'm really sorry Paseton-nim but I think young master Cale had just finished talking with the children so I have to accompany them now. Please excuse me."
In his rush, Ree completely missed the pain that flashed by Paseton's eyes as the later thought he was avoiding him.
"A,Ahh. Okay."
Ree bowed politely at Paseton with a smile after getting his response before walking off without looking back. Meanwhile, Paseton's eyes never left Ree's figure.
"Is everyone okay?"
Ree asked right as he reached the children. His gaze full of worry as he swept his gaze to all of them one by one.
"I remembered you guys once said that your previous village burned down as well. This place might've brought back bad memories. If you guys aren't okay, immediately report to me okay?"
Ree's worried filled voice and eyes warmed the children's hearts.
'He still remembered.'
Everyone couldn't help but be moved. In fact, they already found out from the cat siblings why Ree was avoiding them. And they completely understand his reason.
But seeing him worrying over them despite his discomfort, and prioritizing them even when they hid their identities from him, made all the children felt guilty yet happy. Suddenly, they all started to tear up.
Ree panicked both in the outside and the inside as he noticed the children in the verge of tears. Mini Ree was panicking even more so as he ran around not knowing what to do.
Meanwhile, Ree was fussing over the children.
"Why are you guys crying? I knew I shouldn't have reminded you all. Haa, come on it's okay now."
Ree gently embraced them all in a group hug and even patted them one by one in the head in an attempt to calm them. Wishing with all his might that they wouldn't cry.
Witira witnessed all this because Cale asked for her to also watched the children. She smiled fondly at the brown haired butler who was panicking after seeing the tears in the children's eyes.
It was far from the calm and composed image he usually had. This meant that the children was actually important for him. And Witira was happy to know that.
'He really is a wonderful person. Young master Cale is lucky to be chosen.'
Witira thought to herself as she watched from afar without disturbing them.
~•~•~•~•~
I'm back!
Life's quite hectic and I think the universe is f*cking with me but over all, I'm still alive so all's good!
Okay, I have a bad news and a good news. I'll go with the bad news first.
Only one or two chapters of "A Butler... Apparently" was left in the first "Arc". Just like how I did it in my first story "A Little Change", I also divided this story into "arcs" as I called them.
With that being said, the next arc will only start after all my stories' first arc ended. Or if I felt like starting them. Depends.
So be prepared to say a temporary goodbye to Ree after 2 chapters.
Good news is, after "A Butler... Apparently", I will officially start "Hidden Behind A Tavern". The one with a mix of Eastern Fantasy cultivation.
Therefore, the month of September will be focused on my three books;
Everywhere Merchant
Hidden Behind A Tavern
Special Hearts Chapters
Ahh, I am also happy to announce that...
My lovelies, it's been a year now! We went through a lot in my writing journey. I even had my notes wiped out at one time hahaha. I had moments where I am actively updating multiple chapters, although most of the time I am slow and irregular at posting updates.
I thank everyone for being part of my writing journey. Thank you for reading and appreciating my works. Most importantly, thank you for loving my characters as much as I love them.